Hakone is well known for being an Onsen (hot spring) haven in Japan. It’s a short train journey away from Tokyo so it makes a perfect destination for a day trip. When visiting an onsen, you need to follow a specific etiquette – in majority of them, no clothes or tattoos are allowed! If you don’t feel comfortable being naked, Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is a ‘swimsuit wearing’ onsen and some of them permit band-aids over tattoos.
As we only had one day, we skipped the onsen experience but there is always another time!
GETTING THERE FROM TOKYO:
• Using HAKONE FREE PASS (2 days pass for Y5.140) can be purchased from ticket vending machines at all Odakyu line stations and also at Shinjuku station West Exit 1F at Odakyu Sightseeing Service centre. • Take Odakyu Railway to Odawara and change there to Hakone Tozan Train – price of the return ticket is included into the Hakone Free Pass which also covers all the transport in the Hakone area and discounted prices on entry fees to majority of the attractions & restaurants • From Shinjuku station to Hakone-Yumoto on the ODAKYU ROMANCE CAR (express train 75 mins) with reserved seats but need to buy a supplementary ticket for Y1.090 to addition to regular train tickets - can be purchased at the same places as the pass & also online
OUR ITINERARY:
????Tokyo Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto on the Odakyu Romance Car
????Taking Hakone Tozan Railway at Hakone-Yumoto to Chokoku-no-mori (for better views seat on the left hand side)
????Hakone Open Air Museum (make sure to have mini ‘onsen’ foot bath there)
????Taking Hakone Tozan Cable Car from Gora to Sounzan Station - it was a short 5-10 mins walk from the museum to Gora – if you are not short of time you can visit the Hakone Gora Park (free access with the pass)
????Taking the cable car (Hakone Ropeway) from Sounzan to Owakudani (only 9 minute ride)
????The Great Boiling Valley at Owakudani – explore the volcanic valley up in the mountain with active sulphur springs and try their signature black eggs (kuro-tamago). Legend holds that eating one of these eggs can extend your life by 7 years!
????Take the Hakone Ropeway to Togendai (when we visited that part of the ropeway was under construction and replacement busses were running instead)
????Pirate ship cruise across Lake Ashi from Togendai (free with the Hakone Pass) - from Togendai walk down to the edge of the lake to the cruise pier (timetable can be found here ) - great views of the Kuzuryu & Hakone Shrines. You can disembark the ship at Hakone-machi or Moto-Hakone. 1. Hakone-machi: - more places to eat - visit The Hakone Checkpoint museum - go to Onshihakone Park – great spot to see Mt. Fuji (if the weather permits) - walk Old Tokaido Road to Moto-Hakone (old cedar road which historically connected Tokyo to Kyoto) 2. Moto-Hakone: - visit Hakone Shrine (magical walkway with lanterns)
????Take Hakone Tozan Bus from Moto-Hakone bus terminal to Hakone-Yumoto or Odawara (every 30 mins takes 30-40mins)
PLACES TO EAT: o Curry at Fujiya Hotel o Hatsuhana Soba Shinkan closes at 7pm o Hakone Akatsukian o Yubadon Naokichi - authentic Japanese restaurant closes at 7pm o Premium Shop and Salon de Thé Rosage (Hotel de Yama) o Togendai View Restaurant o Otome-toge Fujimi Chaya Tea House o Gotemba Mikuriya Soba (soba noodles made in Gotemba city) and local Gotemba milk ice cream o Amazake Chaya - traditional tea house (try amazake - warm sweet rice drink)